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i've done some basic stereo installs usually using existing factory wiring so i have less experience snaking wires around from the front to rear of a car from scratch.

i'm ok with electrical connections in general (i've done tons of stuff in other sort of adventures unrelated to car stereo --although, i'm a poor solderer in general, but i do a passable job or can get a friend who is better at such things)

anyway, just to clarify a few things:

from what i gather from you posts, there are three wire runs needed to get this to work. the only one i can picture is the set of wires giving power/signal/switch (to turn on from reverse circuit already in HU) connected via the 8pin harness from the HU all the way back to the camera itself. how many physical wires from this harness make their way back to the camera? all 8?

are the additional two bundles? is there extra power needed for the camera's LED light to work? do you some how splice off power from some of the other factory lights in the hatch? i would think that you wouldn't want any power going to the camera unless your were in reverse.

i've done some basic stereo installs usually using existing factory wiring so i have less experience snaking wires around from the front to rear of a car from scratch.

i'm ok with electrical connections in general (i've done tons of stuff in other sort of adventures unrelated to car stereo --although, i'm a poor solderer in general, but i do a passable job or can get a friend who is better at such things)

anyway, just to clarify a few things:

from what i gather from you posts, there are three wire runs needed to get this to work. the only one i can picture is the set of wires giving power/signal/switch (to turn on from reverse circuit already in HU) connected via the 8pin harness from the HU all the way back to the camera itself. how many physical wires from this harness make their way back to the camera? all 8?

are the additional two bundles? is there extra power needed for the camera's LED light to work? do you some how splice off power from some of the other factory lights in the hatch? i would think that you wouldn't want any power going to the camera unless your were in reverse.

sorry if these questions are unclear or i've missed the obvious...

1. Camera is powered through a 12v source, i chose to tap into the reverse light on the drivers side, snaking the wire up the C-pillar to the rubber tunnel at the top of the hatch, and to the camera (orange wire is 12v+ on the harness. Black is - )
2. The camera was meant to replace a license plate illumination, since it will not work like that on my car, i also tied that into the reverse power. The draw is negligible, so i didn't bother with a new circuit.
3. The only wire that goes to the radio is the yellow AV cable, that is easy to run along the floor, and door sills.
4. The 8 pin connector from SVXdc has the AV input and a ground, the spade on the ground should be put under a screw on the side of the stereo.
The reverse signal is being sent to the radio already, the ground just completes the circuit and puts the radio into camera mode automatically when you put the car in reverse.

1. Camera is powered through a 12v source, i chose to tap into the reverse light on the drivers side, snaking the wire up the C-pillar to the rubber tunnel at the top of the hatch, and to the camera (orange wire is 12v+ on the harness. Black is - )
2. The camera was meant to replace a license plate illumination, since it will not work like that on my car, i also tied that into the reverse power. The draw is negligible, so i didn't bother with a new circuit.
3. The only wire that goes to the radio is the yellow AV cable, that is easy to run along the floor, and door sills.
4. The 8 pin connector from SVXdc has the AV input and a ground, the spade on the ground should be put under a screw on the side of the stereo.
The reverse signal is being sent to the radio already, the ground just completes the circuit and puts the radio into camera mode automatically when you put the car in reverse.

thanks for the detailed clarifications.

one more question: so this means that the LED light on the camera is only on when you are in reverse? clever solution!

BrysImpreza, did you mount the camera offset because of the trunk release being in the center?

No, i mounted it there because there was a notched cutout there, a rubber grommet behind it and clips for a bundle of wire.
Further research showed that as the factory location on the JDM models, and the 2013 USDM Crosstrek model.

Waterlogged
I opened up the hatch and the wires are not there, nor is the mounting bracket for the factory camera. One could probably be fabricated or purchased from a Forester. I switched to a Pioneer so I now have a spare camera if anybody is interested.

Hi everyone, I just joined after a couple of weeks of lurking for my own selfish gains (particularly the camera and car audio DIY threads). Figured I should contribute at this point instead of just leeching

Here's my experience sofar w/the camera install on the 2012 hatchback. Thanks SVXDc for your help with the harness and troubleshooting!

I started by going the cheapskate route the first time ironically because of the lack of reference material on the 2012 HU, I figured I wouldn't be out much $ if it didnt work. Well, my advice is if you're at this stage, invest that $27 you're thinking of spending on a Fleabay camera elsewhere and buy quality the first time and be done. A cheap camera is cheap for a reason!

Here's the exact camera I started with: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CCD-SONY-CAR...item3a6e47793c. It was appealing because of the Sony CCD, 520 TV lines and 720x512 resolution and relatively little modding to get it to fit flush. Honestly? It had great picture quality when it worked - for 5 minutes.

I was banging my head because it worked perfectly without any issues when I finished the install, then when I went out to start my car in the morning it wouldn't display. Later the same day it magically worked again, and coincidentally the 'start it in reverse' symptom a few others have had seemed to fit... but then it stopped working when I parked to test it again and never turned back on. To be sure I tested it on a seperate battery and monitor today and it failed so I could rule out the harness or other factors being the culprit.

The good news is all the scouring I've done (all the 2012 specific posts here and on nasioc, google, etc.) did yield a good result.

They don't list the specs (effective pixels/TV lines/lux) so I have no idea what the image quality will be. Does anyone happen to have these?

I guess the reason the OEM is more appealing is that it might fit the license plate light cutout w/some slight modding vs having to cut, drill or hide wires on the fascia.

Anyhow, I'll let you know how it goes despite what I end up buying. Not going to make the same mistake again though... either getting the Kenwood, the Forester OEM or really --> ideal camera would be the best balance of durability and image quality. Hmm...

Any suggestions? Is the 200 the best camera for ~$150? Id really like to see the specs on the Forester OEM camera. It's still surprising to me that there are no Impreza specific OEM cameras for sale anywhere since they are an OEM option on Imprezas outside of the US.

Hi everyone, I just joined after a couple of weeks of lurking for my own selfish gains (particularly the camera and car audio DIY threads). Figured I should contribute at this point instead of just leeching

Here's my experience sofar w/the camera install on the 2012 hatchback. Thanks SVXDc for your help with the harness and troubleshooting!

I started by going the cheapskate route the first time ironically because of the lack of reference material on the 2012 HU, I figured I wouldn't be out much $ if it didnt work. Well, my advice is if you're at this stage, invest that $27 you're thinking of spending on a Fleabay camera elsewhere and buy quality the first time and be done. A cheap camera is cheap for a reason!

Here's the exact camera I started with: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CCD-SONY-CAR...item3a6e47793c. It was appealing because of the Sony CCD, 520 TV lines and 720x512 resolution and relatively little modding to get it to fit flush. Honestly? It had great picture quality when it worked - for 5 minutes.

I was banging my head because it worked perfectly without any issues when I finished the install, then when I went out to start my car in the morning it wouldn't display. Later the same day it magically worked again, and coincidentally the 'start it in reverse' symptom a few others have had seemed to fit... but then it stopped working when I parked to test it again and never turned back on. To be sure I tested it on a seperate battery and monitor today and it failed so I could rule out the harness or other factors being the culprit.

The good news is all the scouring I've done (all the 2012 specific posts here and on nasioc, google, etc.) did yield a good result.

They don't list the specs (effective pixels/TV lines/lux) so I have no idea what the image quality will be. Does anyone happen to have these?

I guess the reason the OEM is more appealing is that it might fit the license plate light cutout w/some slight modding vs having to cut, drill or hide wires on the fascia.

Anyhow, I'll let you know how it goes despite what I end up buying. Not going to make the same mistake again though... either getting the Kenwood, the Forester OEM or really --> ideal camera would be the best balance of durability and image quality. Hmm...

Any suggestions? Is the 200 the best camera for ~$150? Id really like to see the specs on the Forester OEM camera. It's still surprising to me that there are no Impreza specific OEM cameras for sale anywhere since they are an OEM option on Imprezas outside of the US.

I've been happy with this one, US seller, etc. It's a little big, but the quality is good.

How does one get access to the reverse light wire?
Do you just cut the wire at the boot at the top of the hatch?
Or do you pickup the wire near the light socket?

I looked at the back up light and couldn't figure out an easy way to access the back up light.

Do you have to remove the clear light cover to get access?
I'm used to getting access from inside the trunk, but this impreza has a large one piece hard plastic behind the backup light. It doesn't seem right to be removing the whole hard plastic to get access to the light bulbs.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Also what's the easiest way to remove the plastic cover on the inside of the hatch? I assume this will be necessary to mount the camera to the hatch, and work from behind the hatch?

How does one get access to the reverse light wire?
Do you just cut the wire at the boot at the top of the hatch?
Or do you pickup the wire near the light socket?

I looked at the back up light and couldn't figure out an easy way to access the back up light.

Do you have to remove the clear light cover to get access?
I'm used to getting access from inside the trunk, but this impreza has a large one piece hard plastic behind the backup light. It doesn't seem right to be removing the whole hard plastic to get access to the light bulbs.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Also what's the easiest way to remove the plastic cover on the inside of the hatch? I assume this will be necessary to mount the camera to the hatch, and work from behind the hatch?

1. Where ever you feel most comfortable gaining access, i did it at the light and snaked the wires up the C pillar to the hatch.

2. First, pull off the plastic by the 3rd brake light, then the 2 side pieces, under those are 2 small phillips screw plugs, take those out THEN the hatch panel.

So yesterday I was bored and decided to install the backup camera. I am very happy with the results, it looks very OEM. Since my car is a Limited it has the chrome trunk trim. The camera I bought has a slim profile and has a chrome metal casing. Without further ado:

I routed the wires inside the factory wire loom. I had to remove all the electrical tape from the factory and re-taped it back up.

not trying to be a jerk, but really what is the point of a backup camera any vehicle, let alone the Impreza. you are suppose to turn around when backing up anyway.

I guess you've never read any of those many stories over the years showing how rear visibility in cars and trucks has gotten worse and worse due to high sills and styling, to the point where in most cars have like 20-30' blind spot directly behind.

I have the rear camera in my Outback and will NEVER, EVER buy another car without a rear camera. It doesn't replace using your mirrors and turning around, it supplements it in many useful ways.

It is indispensable for parallel parking, backing into a tight parking space, watching for toys or small children directly behind you, and -- my favorite -- when making a tight 3 point turn, you can back up to within an inch or two of the object behind you when it appears in your rearview mirror that you would have hit something several feet sooner.